Harry Potter Granger: Conjoined
by Werewolf of Suburbia
Summary: Hermione Granger and her two siblings are headed for Hogwarts, intent on learning magic. What makes the Granger siblings so abnormal, however, is that they've magically made themselves a two headed person, and one was formerly Harry Potter. Oh boy...
1. Meet the Grangers

No, I have no idea what I am doing. This is not a new thing, as I never know what I am doing. The only thing I know is that if you believe I own Harry Potter or any other related copyrights, then you are a sad, misguided little person. You are a sad, misguided little person because if I owned Harry Potter or any other related copyrights, then I wouldn't be here on this site, would I? That said, please enjoy this story.

* * *

It was a beautiful day in mid-July when our story takes place. The sun was shining and people everywhere were enjoying the afternoon lazing about or having fun. Some sat and lounged in their yards on beach chairs, while others did something similar, only with a nice golden tan in mind. 

Yet others were more active. Children could be heard, laughing and shrieking as they played, in pools, in yards and the neighborhood in general. Dogs could be heard, barking and wagging their tails as they were taken for nice walks where their owners hadn't been so keen before.

This was the sight for much of England on this beautiful summer day when our story starts, including a park in Dunnington where our story starts. In this park lies our topics, three children no older then eleven, whose lives where to change drastically on this lovely summer day. Of the three children, two were girls, and they were quite the odd sight to see, if you want an honest opinion.

The first girl was a lovely brunette, whose hair fell in bushy waves. By all appearances, she was having fun throwing a bright yellow Frisbee for the large German Shepherd cross, and coaxing the canine to bring it back for her to throw again, as it seemed inclined to just lie down and chew the toy if left to its own devices.

The second girl and the boy were why this trio was the odd sight to see. This was because they were what the medicinal world called conjoined twins. However, as far as anyone else was concerned, they looked much rather odder then just that, as they were conjoined in such a way to look like a two-headed person.

To make matters even more interesting, it was easy to see that none of the three children were at all related, even though the boy and the girl shared a body. They were all having fun together, though, as the twins laughed at the other girl while they sat in a swing.

"Hey Hermione, you want us to take over?" the boy, whose raven black hair was a perpetual rat's nest, laughed. His emerald eyes glinted in humor as he looked at the brunette throwing the Frisbee.

"Why would I want that? Amber's having too much fun on that swing!" she answered back, indicating the girl with a nod. Indeed, the strawberry blonde with laughing grey-blue eyes did seem to be enjoying herself as she made her shared body move the swing.

None of them, or indeed, any of the people of Dunnington, paid any mind to the three owls flying overhead. That was, they were completely unaware of the three owls, and remained so till the three touched down on top of the swing set, their talons clinking against the steel.

The blonde, Amber, immediately halted the swing as the boy looked up. The brunette, Hermione, glanced over at the pair as she finished wrestling the Frisbee away from the dog. Her mouth dropped.

The owls, seeing the attention being given to them, hooted and landed, each to a shoulder of the three children, and held out a leg. Upon each leg was attached some sort of parcel, a letter rolled up and tied to the leg with a purple satin ribbon.

Cautiously, Amber reached up and untied the letter from her owl, a regal looking black hawk owl, and unfurled it. Seeing that she wasn't attacked, the boy and Hermione followed suit. The three owls, relieved of their burdens, went back to the swing set bar again, seemingly waiting.

Each letter was the same, if addressed to a different person. Hermione's read

"Ms. H. Granger, Dunnington Park, Dunnington." The only thing to change on the twins' letters was the names. The boy's was addressed to "Mr. H. Potter" and the blonde's to "Ms. A. Slivermoon."

Amber, curious, turned the envelope—made of parchment of all things—over to reveal a wax seal. It was shaped like a shield, cut into four parts and held together by a large "H". On each section was a different animal, a lion, snake, badger and eagle. She opened it, and pulled out a letter, also written on parchment.

Blue-grey eyes quickly took in the letter, and gawked. "It says I've been invited to Hogwarts and that Hogwarts is a school for Magic." she told her companions. The other two quickly opened their letters to reveal that they had been invited too. It also appeared that the owls were their letter carriers, and were waiting for a response.

"What do you think?" asked the boy, as the trio exchanged glances.

"I think we should write back and ask for an explanation. If this is real, I want to learn magic, but I have no idea where to begin." said Hermione eagerly. Her eyes gleamed with the thought of learning new things. The blonde snickered.

"But should we send three separate letters when one will suffice?" asked he. Amber shook her head.

"No need. They haven't gotten the news about us yet, which is probably why our last names are different. I'll write back a response for all of us, and include the change in names."

That said, she turned to a black bag sitting next to the swing set and rummaged through it, bringing out a scrap of paper and a pen. She brought both over to the picnic table and wrote a short but seemingly well thought-out note and placed it back inside her parchment envelope. Crossing out her name and address, she wrote a new address.

"Ms. M. McGonagall, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, unknown location."

Then she gestured for the owls sitting on the swing set.

"I'm sorry that we don't need the undoubtedly excellent services of all three of you, but since we're all siblings, only one letter really needs to be sent. I trust you to get this letter back to Ms. McGonagall in good standing." she told the owls, who all preened at the veiled compliment. The hawk owl held out his leg for the parcel, and the blonde re-tied it with the same purple ribbon, giving all three owls a stroke of the head.

"Now, off you go, you intelligent little beings you." And the owls hooted and took off, each stopping only to nuzzle each child in turn, Amber receiving an extra little nuzzle. The dog barked, and shoved his head into the blonde's hand. She rubbed its head, getting a particularly great spot behind the ears.

"Now what?" asked the boy.

"Now I suggest we take Starlight home and tell Mum and Dad what happened." replied Amber. Hermione nodded, collecting the trio's things and attaching the leash to the dog's collar.

And so they left.

* * *

Back at Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall was eating lunch when the black hawk owl landed in front of her and held out his leg. The staff, whom were also present and enjoying their own meals, all looked over at the animal's hoots. 

Minerva undid the ribbon, recognizing it as one of the ones she had used on the school letters, and took the envelope. The owl hooted again and took off. Several staff members snickered.

Minerva raised an eyebrow at the front of the letter, which bore a student's name, scratched out and replaced with her own in the same manner in which she had addressed the letter to start with.

"Something wrong?" questioned Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster, watching his deputy curiously.

"Nothing much. This is a first year letter, but this first year is apparently either sucking up or just very well mannered, because they've addressed it to M. McGonagall, Hogwarts, unknown location."

Giggles and snorts of laughter was her response. Pretending to ignore the others, Minerva slipped open the envelope to pull out what could only be muggle paper. It was only half length, and its jagged edges spoke of someone tearing off the other half none-too-evenly at an earlier time.

"_Dear Ms. McGonagall, _

_We are pleased that you wish to accept us at Hogwarts, but we have no clue what you're on about. If this is real, we wish for you to come visit us soon to explain things and take us for our shopping. We would like very much to attend Hogwarts if it is not some prank, but would like to inform you of some name changes, as two of us have long since been adopted and no longer go by the surnames on our envelopes. We hope to hear from you soon!_

_Respectively Yours, _

_Hermione Granger, Amber Granger (Formerly Slivermoon) and Harry Granger (Formerly Potter)_"

"So, who's the letter from?" questioned Albus.

"Three muggleborn students, although one is simply muggle-raised more then muggleborn. Hermione Granger and her two siblings, Harry and Amber."

"Harry and Amber Granger?"

"Yes. It would appear that both of them have been adopted, as her last name was Slivermoon, and his last name was Potter." At this, Minerva gave Albus a VERY pointed glare. "They have asked that someone go see them to explain and take them to Diagon for their supplies, and request that we respect the name changes."

"Since when did Potter change his last name?" demanded Snape nastily. Minerva glared.

"It's Granger, and I don't know. A while ago, according to the letter." She turned her attention to Albus. "So, who shall go inform them and take them shopping? And when should they go?"

"I think you and Severus should be capable of handling three teenagers in Diagon, as well as the education aspect of it." he replied, eyes twinkling. "You can leave whenever you have the time."

Minerva looked at her younger colleague, who was scowling darkly, and questioned him about the time. His scowl deepened, and he snapped that he'd to it whenever, and soon.

Minerva frowned, but nevertheless, headed back to her office to write a response, giving the trio of siblings three days to prepare for their arrival. Much to her surprise, she found the hawk owl waiting for her calmly in her office, and arched an eyebrow.

"Have you taken a liking to one of these children then?" she asked, not expecting a reply. He hooted and seemed to nod anyway. Minerva decided to ignore the owl's odd behavior and wrote out her letter, allowing him to take it when it was finished. She then decided to go make a change to the registry, making sure Slivermoon and Potter became Granger.

* * *

The Granger siblings had just finished filling in their parents when the hawk owl came back, landing seemingly rather happily on Amber's shoulder. Nuzzling the girl, he held out a leg for her, exposing yet another letter. The Granger parents seemed rather stunned to have their children's story verified in such a matter, while Amber thanked the bird and took the letter. She offered a couple of strokes as reward, making note of the places the owl seemed to really like having petted. 

The boy, Harry, took the letter and handed it to an eager Hermione while Amber occupied herself with the owl, who seemed to have become attached to her. Hermione nearly ripped the letter in her eagerness and read it.

"There are two professors, McGonagall and a Professor Snape, who will be coming in three days around 10 am to explain and take us shopping. Professor McGonagall warns Harry to be alert, though, because Professor Snape hated his father and seems to have transferred this to him."

Harry sighed. "Well, I'll just have to set him straight, and hope for the best. I never even knew my father, and whatever happened between them happened probably before I was even a dream anyway. Amber, are you going to keep that owl as your pet?" he added this last part to his twin, noticing how attached Amber had become of the bird, who had yet to leave.

"No. Such a highly intelligent creature as this is not a pet. It will be up to the beautiful creature himself to decide whether or not he becomes my companion, although I suppose it's only polite to let the school know if he does. After all, they appear to have been using his superb services, and can let whoever leases him out know about it. I highly doubt he belongs to any of them though."

She looked at the hawk owl curiously, and added, "However, I would not be adverse to having him as a companion, myself. After all, it would be an honor to know such a beautiful and intelligent creature even just momentarily. To have him decide to be my companion would be nothing short of walking with the gods in person."

The owl hooted and nuzzled Amber's face, and seemed to make himself even more at home then before. Amber noticed.

"I take then, that you wish to stay?" she asked hopefully. A positive sounding hoot. "I thank you for choosing to grace me with your presence, and I hope to be a good companion for such an esteemed being as yourself." Amber accepted with as much grace as she could think of. She knew that owls, especially the owls that had delivered their letters, needed some respect, if not a lot of it.

"And just how exactly to you plan on taking care of an owl? It's not like you can feed it parakeet food from Wal-mart!" demanded Hermione.

"I figure that we'd use it to send back our acceptance letter, letting them know we'll be ready, and perhaps warning off this Snape person from displacing his hatred for a dead man as well. Besides, since he's been gone, I've taken a look at the school list, and it says dogs aren't allowed, and I wanted to ask about Starlight. Besides, I'm sure he wouldn't mind staying at this Hogwarts place for a couple of days until we can get our supplies and I can get everything proper for his care. You wouldn't mind, would you?" she added, addressing the last part to the owl who cooed at the girl and nipped her ear affectionately.

"I suppose so. Plus, we need to let them know about the owl anyway, and perhaps we should let them know about us, if you know what I mean." said Harry slowly, gesturing to himself/Amber. Hermione sighed, conceding the point, and nodded.

Amber glanced at their still silent parents. "Do you mind, Mum, Dad? We would really like to go, if it's possible, and the owl can make his own decisions."

"I don't suppose we mind, no, it's just that we still need time to adjust and get used to all of it. And we'll let the owl slide, since he's already made his choice, and who are we to stand in his way? Besides, if he becomes your companion, then we can use him to write letters back in forth, given that owls seem like the main communication between wizards." replied her mother.

Mr. Granger seemed to have sensed what Amber did about the owl, and looked the creature straight in his large golden eyes. "You won't mind taking our letters back and forth, would you, since you've chosen to stay with Amber?"

Again the owl hooted, and flared his wings. Harry had been writing a letter during the little side conversation, and finished it with a flourish just then.

"How does this look?" he questioned his partner, who looked the letter over. It was as polite as was possible, although he had inserted a message to Snape that just bordered on rude, and covered all the bases. Amber did not hold the rudeness of the Snape message against anybody, since it was hard to remain polite in those circumstances, and nodded.

"Will you kindly deliver this message to McGonagall? Afterwards, if they have nothing else to say, you can hang around Hogwarts until I have all the proper materials to treat you the way you deserve to be treated."

The Hawk Owl stuck out his leg, not minding in the least at his being used for letter carrying, and nuzzled Amber before flying out the same window he came in. Life then returned to semi-normal in the Granger household, while waiting for the day the professors came to see them.

* * *

Meanwhile, time enough had passed that the owl was delivering the message to Minerva during dinner. She looked supremely surprised to see the owl, but took his letter nevertheless and promptly offered him some ham before ignoring him. The owl took the offered meat and headed to the Owlery. 

"What now?" demanded Snape.

"It's the Grangers. They must not live very far off, if their letters come within hours of each other like this." Minerva mused as she opened the envelope.

"_To Ms. M. McGonagall and Mr. S. Snape;_

_We have received your correspondence, and eagerly await your arrival three days from now. We have only responded to this letter, as we have some things we would like to inform you of before you arrive. Please feel free to wait until our meeting to address any and all of these topics. _

_Topic one concerns the owl who has just delivered this letter. He has taken a great liking towards Amber and has just now decided to become her companion. He will be living at Hogwarts until we have gone on our shopping trip, wherein it seems safe to assume Amber will be able to purchase the things needed to properly care for an owl. We would like to offer our thanks in advance for allowing him to do so, and would like to ask that, if you know who leases out his services that they be informed. We will also gladly pay any fees in regards to his room and board._

_Since receiving our letters, we have looked over the supplies list and have noted the accepted pets. While the owl has now just come under our ownership, so to speak, we have neither a cat nor a toad, but we do have one other pet. We wish to know if it is at all possible to bring our dog with us, as, while we are sure our parents will not mind looking out for her while we are away, we do not wish to leave her ten months out of the year if it is at all possible. I'm sure you understand. _

_To Ms. McGonagall, if you receive this letter first, please deliver this message to Mr. Snape: I will not stand for bad behavior in regards to my person because he has issues against a dead man I never knew. Please remind him that James Potter has been dead and rotting for a decade now, and that I am not him, no matter how closely related to him I am. Please also remind him that my mother was Lily, as he does not seem to have such a problem against her, or you have failed to mention it. _

_Finally, we would also like to inform you of a development you may not be aware about, which we did not see the need to include in our original response letter. Amber and I have known each other since we were about four years old, before meeting the Grangers. On what we considered Amber's fifth birthday, she and I preformed a feat of magic that bound us together in the most unusual of ways. Amber lived with a nasty man who was legally her guardian and he was going away and had every intention to take her with. We made a strong wish to remain together, and our magic responded to the simple statement by fusing us into one. You will undoubtedly be shocked at your first sight of us no matter what we do, but we are hoping to lessen the shock by informing you prior to your visit that since that day, Amber and I share a single body. We literally look like a two headed person, I being one head, and Amber the other. _

_We thank you for your time and energy, and can not wait to see you in three days. Until then, we hope you have a pleasant time._

_Yours, _

_The Grangers._"

Minerva stared. And stared some more. She could not believe it. She was dreaming, and she would wake up any minute now. Or she was being pranked, and any second now, someone would start laughing about her expression before apologizing.

"Well, Minerva? What does the letter say?" No one was laughing. And she wasn't waking up. A quick bite on the inside of her cheek proved that she wasn't dreaming at all.

"It says that they will be ready for us when we come. That owl who gave me this message was a school owl, but they are under the impression that someone is leasing it out, and wish for someone to inform them that it is no longer in their service. It will be staying here until Amber can get the supplies needed for an owl, as it has decided to be her familiar."

Everyone stared at her. "You're joking, right?" questioned Rolanda Hooch hopefully. Minerva shook her head.

"Oh, there's more. Like the fact that the Grangers own a dog and want to know if there is any way the dog can come to Hogwarts. They only ask because we don't have dogs on the list, which is mainly because wizards don't own dogs. They also have a message for you Severus."

"And what could they possibly have to say to me?" he demanded coldly.

"Well, I warned them ahead of time that you'd likely act dismally because Harry was a Potter, and they requested that I remind you that James Potter is, as they so bluntly put it, "Dead and rotting" and has been for 10 years. They would like me to inform you that Harry never knew his father and that he will not take your misplaced hatred sitting down. They also wanted me to remind you that, while James may have been his father, Lily was also a factor in his creation."

Several people snickered at that, and Snape glowered at his dinner, but Minerva decided to move on.

"They also wish to prepare us for the shock we are likely to receive upon meeting them, because Harry and Amber have known each other while Harry was still residing with his aunt and uncle. Amber, it appears, was under the guardianship of someone who mistreated her if nothing else, and when it became apparent that he was leaving and taking her with, they got together and ended up having a spurt of accidental magic."

"What's that got to do with anything?" questioned Filius Flitwick confusedly.

"Well, it would appear that the magic "Fused", to use their phrasing, them together as one person with two heads."

Everyone stared at her like she was nuts. She stared back. "I'm not kidding, here, read for yourselves!" and she passed the note around. The staff did indeed read it, including Snape, and they all stared in stunned shock. It was Dumbledore who finally broke the silence, regaining his wits first.

"Well, this Sorting will prove to be interesting, certainly. After all, Harry can't go to one House, of Amber's in another, now can he, if they share a body?"

No one answered, as everyone just stared. Dumbledore didn't seem to mind, though, as he went back to his dinner, seemingly thinking happy thoughts about the new year. The new year with a two headed person in the first year class.

And no one had anything to say about it.

* * *

Like I said earlier, I have no idea what the crap I am doing. I just had a thought after watching "_Quest for Camelot_" and thinking perhaps a little too hard about Devon and Cornwall. This led to thoughts about Zak and Wheezie from "_Dragon Tales_" and shifted into Harry Potter land. Now Harry's a two-headed person (Which can actually exist as conjoined twins, although in reality there is no boy-girl pairs), and adopted by the Grangers. I hope you enjoyed the Prolouge and I'll get Chapter 2 up VERY soon. As usual, all pleas for reviews apply. 

Werewolf of Suburbia.


	2. Shopping 101

Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape apperated into a nice neighborhood, their task clear—they were to educate three muggleborn students about the new world they were about to enter into. They glanced around their surroundings to see just what sort of people they were dealing with. The neighborhood spoke of people better then middle-class, but not exactly rich. White collar jobs, certainly.

Approaching the nice looking home they'd appeared in front of, they were greeted by nice gardens and a barking German Shepherd mix-breed, who seemed extremely happy to see them. The dog was followed by a young girl with bushy brown hair and chocolate eyes.

"Are you Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall?" she asked curiously.

"We are. And who might you be?"

"Hermione Granger. We've been expecting you, Professors. Please come in and meet the family. This is Starlight, or Star." The girl began introductions like a good hostess with the dog. Snape just gave off a grimace that Hermione thought was supposed to be a smile. McGonagall was much warmer in her greeting, reaching out a hand for the mix breed to sniff.

Hermione lead the two teachers inside the house, which was proved to be a warm inviting place. There were a couple of chew toys lying in the front hall, and a stuffed unicorn had been left on the sofa as they were led into the sitting room.

"Everyone, the professors are here!" Hermione called into the house, bringing out the Granger parents from what seemed to be the kitchen and footsteps sounding from upstairs. The Professors correctly assumed it to be the adopted siblings, Harry and Amber.

The letter had said that they were in for a shock at the first meeting, giving the two teachers time to brace themselves, but that all seemed to matter none when the duo came into the room, taking a seat next to the abandoned stuffed unicorn. Snape and McGonagall both felt their jaws drop and their eyes bug out as the two-headed Granger twins came in, looking rather excited.

The duo was wearing clothing that seemed to have been specially made to combine the two different fashion senses. Harry's side was navy blue with a matching cream t-shirt. Amber's was more girly, bright pink t-shirt depicting a unicorn and sky blue. It didn't really match, but Amber did not seem to care at all.

Hermione frowned at her siblings. She, too, had been trying to appear formally, wearing what appeared to be a school uniform. The parents were dressed conservatively as well. Neither professor noticed as they tried to close their mouths and look more professional then they currently did.

It didn't work for another five minutes.

Amber had swiped the unicorn in that time and held it in her shared lap, Harry looking resigned more then anything else, while Hermione teased the dog with another chew toy and the parents just sat patiently. They seemed perfectly unconcerned about the lost composure of their guests, and McGonagall mused that it was no wonder. It must happen all the time.

Hermione noticed them coming back around first and started in on the questions.

"Why didn't we know about Hogwarts before now? Can we take Star? Where will we go shopping? Does magic really exist?"

Amber and Harry sniggered mightily at the stunned expressions on the teachers' faces as they tried to translate the girl's fast-paced speech. The Granger parents sighed and gave their biological daughter a hard look.

"Now slow down. They'll tell us everything you want to know in a minute. Give them a few seconds to get used to your sister and brother." The father scolded. Hermione looked contrite, apologizing.

"To start off with, I would like to say that magic does indeed exist, and that you three are indeed magical. Hogwarts is a boarding school in Scotland, and offers many subjects, most of which are taken for five years before being considered for dropping. At the end of your second year, Hogwarts asks that you chose electives for the next three years to add to your basic education."

"What is offered as electives versus basic?"

"Basic classes include such things as Potions, which Professor Snape teaches, Transfiguration, which I teach, and Charms, taught by Professor Flitwick, to name a few. Electives available at the end of second year are things like Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, a worthless subject in my opinion taught by a fraud named Trelawney, and Muggle Studies."

"Most students usually take the class because it is essentially an easy to pass class. Trelawney is most fanatical about her chosen subject, but her ways leave many students teasing her behind her back, and she always takes her homework assignments seriously, allowing many students to pass so long as they have an active imagination." Snape inserted into the conversation.

"So, if Hogwarts is a boarding school and as prestigious as the letters made it sound, then how much is tuition?" asked Harry slowly.

"It depends on the student, normally. Your birth parents knew you were destined for Hogwarts and left you a wizarding account for your school fees, Mr. Granger, and your sisters will have to be decided upon between your parents and us." McGonagall answered, making sure to respect Harry and Amber's request, even if Snape did not.

Harry blinked, but nodded anyway. Looking unsure, he glanced at his adoptive family. Mr. and Mrs. Granger nodded, Hermione smiled and Amber smirked.

"If you would, please, what happened to my parents? I knew I was a Potter before being adopted, but nothing else. The Dursleys hated it when I asked questions and they dumped me in an orphanage after Amber and I bonded."

"They left you in an orphanage?" McGonagall, for one, was aghast. Harry nodded.

"Well, they actually left us in an alley in London, telling me that they had had enough of my freakiness and that they would not stand for having an even bigger freak in their house. Amber was the one to get us to an orphanage, as that's where she had been before that horrid man took her. What happened to my parents?"

Even Snape was appalled by this, and he was secretly using his special technique to detect lying. He replied, "Your parents, Granger, were murdered by a powerful, evil wizard after being betrayed by their supposed best friend. You are a hero in the magical world under the surname Potter, because you defeated him that night. You are the Boy-Who-Lived."

"Boy-Who-Lived? What kind of name is that?" asked Amber, winkling her nose.

"It is the name of a baby boy who somehow managed to turn the deadly _Avada Kedavra_ curse, the Killing Curse, back at its castor." Snape replied, in a tone that said he was barely capable of continued politeness. Amber gave him a blank stare.

"Who was the Murderer?" asked Hermione quietly.

"The Dark Lord." answered Snape promptly. McGonagall sighed and added onto the man's answer.

"His name was Voldemort. But everyone is terrified of him even now, and just call him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Amber stared at them, as did Hermione and Harry. The Granger parents had been properly horrified at the news that Harry's biological parents had been murdered, and were now watching the conversation play out.

"So, what's your name? Outside of Professor, anyway? Does it have hyphens in it too?" asked Amber, looking genuinely curious. Harry snorted, glancing at his sister. "What? It's true!! All three of those names have at least two hyphens in them, and the last has five alone!" Amber exclaimed defensively.

"Voldemort is French, isn't it? I seem to recall hearing it in our French lessons…" Hermione mused aloud.

"Flight of Death. It's in three parts, although he's managed to combine them quite nicely." Amber replied to her sister's musings. "Although full English Translation means that his name was the Dark Lord Flight of Death, which sounds idiotic."

"Always wondered why the French never joined forces with him." muttered Snape.

"We're getting off topic, though. Where do we go shopping for school supplies, and how are we going to pay for all this, or do you magic people use normal money?" asked Amber, returning her attention to the forgotten professors.

"No, we have our own monetary system. You can bring some money of your own and get it exchanged at the bank. Warning: it's run by goblins."

"Fun. Well then, shall we get a move on? After all, we don't have forever, do we?" asked Harry.

The Granger parents stood up. "Harry is correct. We'll drive to the general location. Where is this shopping center?" asked Mr. Granger.

"Charring Cross Road." answered Snape promptly. He nodded and headed out. The others all followed.

And Star was left to her own devices for the time.

* * *

After a harrowing experience in a car, the Professors were only too glad to get out of the vehicle and head towards the Leaky Cauldron. That is not to say that the Grangers were reckless drivers, they weren't, but Snape and McGonagall hadn't appreciated the couple of close calls they'd had.

With the help of their children, Mr. and Mrs. Granger were led into the magical Leaky Cauldron and back into a empty alleyway with a blank brick wall. Everyone save Amber turned to stare incredulously at their guides. Amber just looked bored.

Amber reached out to look at the bricks lying directly before her, folded in a little from the rest of the wall. She tapped first one, then another. Everyone stared at her.

"What are you doing?" asked Hermione. Amber tapped a third brick, causing the wall to start moving.

"Opening the portal into Diagon Alley. Why do you ask?"

"How did you do that?" demanded McGonagall, staring incredulously at the girl.

"Like Harry said, the Dursleys dumped us in an alley, and I got us to an orphanage. It took some time for me to find it, though, and we sort of stumbled on the Cauldron in the process. Harry was too busy coming to grips with the fact that his relatives had abandoned him to notice some witch or another opening the brick wall. I memorized the pattern."

"Well, I guess that explains it then." said Snape, still gawking at her. Harry stared at his twin. "On to Gringotts, shall we?"

"You watched a witch open a brick wall and didn't tell me?" Harry sounded insulted and slightly hurt as he stared.

"I kinda forgot, Harry. I didn't think you were ready to know, as your only relatives had just dumped you, and after we got to the orphanage it never came up. Besides, you wouldn't have believed me if I had told you."

Hermione was ignoring her siblings in favor of trying to take in the Alley all in one go, something for which she needed about a hundred more eyes. She was utterly amazed at the scenery before her. There were witches and wizards walking around in robes of all sorts and sizes, buying and selling their wares.

Harry and Amber decided to drop their conversation and also looked around the alley. Harry, like Hermione, was amazed. Amber was just curious. Yes, she was new to all this magic stuff too, but she had quite the active imagination, and magic was a very well liked topic for her.

"And here we are. Welcome to the wizarding bank, Gringotts, the best place to store your money and various other valuables." Snape drawled as he headed up the steps, Hermione and her parents in tow. McGonagall brought up the rear, herding the twins in after. Amber waved cheerfully at the goblin that bowed them in.

"Mr. Granger, you and your sister will accompany Professor McGonagall to the vault that your parents set up for your schooling. I will take your parents and sister to get their muggle money exchanged." Snape explained the itinerary. Harry nodded, and followed the stern witch over to a free goblin teller.

"Mr. Potter-Granger would like to make a withdrawal, please." McGonagall said primly, handing over a golden key. The goblin looked first at the key, then at Harry, looking rather stunned at the sight of a two-headed person. Snapping out something in a language neither Harry nor Amber had ever heard, he waved another goblin over.

"Vault 406, Potter trust fund." The teller told the lackey, who nodded and motioned the three humans to follow him. The twins let McGonagall go first.

A wild cart ride later—much enjoyed by Amber and Harry both—the goblin was opening a heavy looking door to allow green smoke billow out into the vast caverns that seemed to make up the foundation of the bank. The twins stared in awe at the mounds of money staring at them in the face.

"And this is all for me?" asked Harry weakly. Amber looked around the vault.

"Yes, although you could probably use it to pay for your sister as well, seeing how you're…" McGonagall trailed off, unsure how to end that sentence.

"Bonded?" offered Harry with a smile. McGonagall nodded, taking the suggestion. Harry turned to his sister, who was in conversation with the goblin and wasn't paying attention.

"How much is in this vault and does Gringotts offer interest on their vaults like a muggle bank does?" she asked the goblin, who seemed rather astounded at the question. Snapping his fingers, a parchment materialized from thin air, and he looked it over.

"There is currently 14,000 galleons, 8 sickles and 4 knuts in this vault, earning a interest of 3 percent annually." He reported.

Amber blinked and looked at Harry. "That's a lot, I think." she replied.

"Yes, more then enough to pay your first two years at Hogwarts for the both of you." McGonagall inserted. As she went through standard procedure of informing muggleborns about the magical currency, she helped the duo sweep up enough cash to get supplies. Amber took it all in as a true Ravenclaw would, while Harry seemed to only take it in by half, too busy admiring the coins themselves to really pay attention.

They met the rest of their group in the lobby of the bank, where the goblins politely, for goblins, ushered them out. Snape scowled, while Hermione, Harry and Amber took in the alley, and argued softly amongst themselves. The Granger parents, resigned to their children's antics, waited calmly for the next part of their journey to begin.

"What are you three plotting?" demanded Snape, not unkindly (for Snape). The Grangers looked at him innocently.

"Nothing, actually. We're trying to agree on where to go first. Hermione wants to look at the books, Harry wants to go looking at the nearest sports store and I would like to get our wands." Amber answered honestly.

The two teachers exchanged glances, both knowing all about wand selection.

"Might I suggest we get wands first? That always takes the longest, and then you'll have plenty of time to browse for other things." McGonagall suggested. Hermione and Harry both looked disappointed, but brightened a little at the thought of looking through their chosen shops longer.

So, the Grangers were led to a dusty looking little shop called Ollivander's. Inside, it was even dustier, almost all available wall space taken up by long slender boxes, undoubtedly holding wands. It seemed deserted, until a creepy-sounding voice spoke from behind them.

Ollivander was a thin old man with pale eyes that seemed to look through you rather then at you. Hermione backed up nervously as she eyed him, Harry stepped back as well, while Amber stared back at the man, seemingly unfazed by his odd stare. The Granger parents just gawked.

Ollivander seemed as thrown by the twins as the family was by him. Just as it had never occurred to the staff of Hogwarts, it had never occurred to Ollivander that there might be people sharing bodies, or body parts. It became blatantly apparent when one took in their first sight of Diagon that the Magical World was behind the times, rather drastically too.

It was decided by all that Hermione would be the easier of the three and Ollivander went about matching her up with her wand, rambling all the while about the "wand chooses the wizard" and everything else they really didn't need to know. It took about ten minutes before the vine wood wand holding a dragon heartstring core came into the girl's possession, which suited her just fine.

Then the wand maker turned his attention to Harry and Amber.

"Are you two related?" he asked, noting that they looked nothing alike. Harry shook his head.

"No. We were two separate people until we were five, when we made a wish and our magic responded to it. I was Harry Potter then, and she was Amber Slivermoon."

"Well, let's see what we can do about getting you a wand then, shall we? Or two wands, maybe. You'll have to forgive me, as I have never encountered this situation before." Ollivander spoke, randomly moving through his shop and collecting quite the pile of boxes, which he then stacked on his desk. He separated them into two piles, which he then placed in front of each twin.

Harry tried each and every wand in the pile, and then some, and he wasn't the only one getting frustrated at his lack of success. Ollivander, it seemed, was thrilled, however, causing Hermione to stare at him. Amber hadn't actually touched her pile at all, just stared at it like she could see the answers of the universe in the boxes or something.

After a ridiculously long time, Harry was the proud new owner of Voldemort's brother wand, an eleven inch holly wand with a phoenix feather. The Grangers were slightly horrified to learn about its connection to Voldemort, and the two professors were greatly disturbed by this.

Amber, however, got over her misgivings about her brother's new wand to glance curiously at the wand maker.

"Do you think we could just try unicorn cores for a bit, sir? I've always loved unicorns, and you did mention that you used them as cores."

Ollivander arched an eyebrow, but nodded anyway. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. It's often that much easier to find a wand if the core animal is something you have a particular affinity to."

Amber's wand did indeed have a unicorn core, made of willow wood. The unicorn, according to Ollivander, that the core came from was a shy little creature, but very nice nonetheless.

With their new wands in their boxes, the trio of children headed back out into Diagon Alley, where Hermione won the debate and the bookstore, Flourish and Blotts, became their new destination. Hermione looked like she had just entered heaven as she looked around at the shelves, while Harry sniggered at her look. Amber, as always, looked curious, studying the nearest books (about politics) interestedly.

"Hermione, you may get only three books extra. Harry, since you're paying for yourself and, presumably, Amber, you can set your own limits." Mr. Granger ordered sternly. Hermione looked disappointed at first, before she eagerly began browsing the shelves. Harry nodded at his father and turned to his sister.

"I know you like books, and I also know you're not as fanatical about it as 'Mione. But try not to get too many, okay?" he asked. Amber nodded.

"I figured I'd find a section or two that interested me most and just choose a couple of books from there. Nothing serious, as I also want to glance through our school books."

"Brilliant. I'll do the same. Course books or extra books first?"

"Course books are easier to get. We already know what we're looking for." Amber pointed out. Harry nodded and they made their way through the stacks. The Professors, having listened to the conversation, turned to the Granger parents.

"They are amazingly well matched, aren't they?" asked McGonagall. Mrs. Granger smiled.

"From what we know, it didn't always start out that way. It took them years of practice before they figured out a pattern so that it looks like their actually walking rather then waddling or something. It was trial and error for awhile, especially with clothes. It wasn't till Harry remembered that they were both used to doing all sorts of chores and could both sew that they managed to figure out outfits."

"They sew their own clothes?" asked Snape, shocked. Mr. Granger shook his head, chuckling.

"No, my wife means that they fix up their clothing a bit so they don't spend an hour arguing over what to wear. As you can see, their taste of fashion is highly different. What normally happens now is that they find something they both like and alternate it so that both of them can wear it at the same time."

"I had wondered how something so formal could fit together with something so relaxed." McGonagall mused aloud, remembering her first observance of the outfits. Amber's unicorn t-shirt didn't really go with Harry's which seemed almost like something for a suit.

Hermione had finally managed to find the three books she wanted the most, while Harry and Amber had gotten several more. Amber's were mostly animal based, with a few thrown in about enchanting, while Harry held several prank books and some Rune books.

With the books purchased, it was on to the Apothecary for Potions supplies, their telescopes for Astronomy, and Madam Malkin's for robes. Eeylops Owl Emporium gave Amber her needed supplies to look after her new familiar, and a quick stop around Quality Quidditch Supplies garnered some Quidditch books for Harry's pile.

The Grangers insisted on getting ice cream at Fortescue's, which the Professors allowed with good grace. Amber eagerly devoured a cone while her sister and brother enjoyed sundaes. The adults even got a dish for themselves. After ice cream, they headed back to the Leaky Cauldron, and the Grangers' car.

"Now, you have to take the Express train to Hogwarts, which leaves promptly at 11 am on September First. The platform number is Nine and Three Quarters, which is accessible by running through the barrier between platforms Nine and Ten. Your owl can remain at Hogwarts till then, unless it finds its way back to you on its own." McGonagall was instructing along the way. It was obvious that neither professor wanted to get back in the car.

"What about Star?" asked Harry, looking at his professors pleadingly. "We aren't going to leave her ten months out of the year, are we?"

"Not unless you want to. I know the approved pet list is short, and we really should revise that. There are several people who bring other pets not on that list each year. If I recall correctly, the Weasleys bring their pet rat with them each year." Snape turned to look at McGonagall questioningly. She nodded.

"Yes they do. Although it will probably be going to one of the younger ones this year, as Percy has been made prefect." She informed him. Snape just sighed.

"You'll have to decide between yourselves, preferably before getting to Hogwarts, who your dog will stay with should you be sorted into different Houses. Otherwise, all you need to do is bring her on leash to the train. We assume you can provide the needed supplies on your own, and you'll probably be allowed to run around the grounds with her when necessary." Snape finished the explanation.

"Provided, of course, that you promise to stay away from the forbidden areas." McGonagall added. They nodded.

"Well, that's all you probably need to know for now, as Houses will be explained to the whole year group at Hogwarts. We'll see you in a few weeks, Mr. Granger, Misses Granger." Snape bid them farewell and disappeared with a sharp crack. McGonagall also bid them goodbye and left.

* * *

That night found the three Grangers buried in their new books. Hermione was reading a history book, Amber had immersed herself in a book about magical equines, and Harry was studying a Quidditch book. The Granger parents had also snuck glances at the textbooks, and were discussing all the things their children would need before September First.

It was decided that they would go out next week to get all necessary supplies, most of which was the dog care things that the trio would need for Starlight while they were away. Starlight seemed content to sit with the family, quietly gnawing on a chew toy.

All five family members were up late that night, three of the five reading. The Granger parents were not, however, reading, but trying to let go of their children a little. After all, their babies, even if two were by adoption, were going away to boarding school, and the house would seem mighty empty with them gone. It would seem even emptier because Star was going with them.

As time passed, things got settled. Hermione made lists of all they needed to pack, and they bought all other supplies that weren't necessarily magical in origin. Starlight was carefully prepared for going away, and the family spent as much time as was possible together.

Finally, it was the First, and the Grangers, packed and ready to go, headed to Kings Cross and the magical platform between nine and ten. Nervous and excited, the trio said goodbye to their parents and, Starlight on her leash, boarded the rather beautiful red steam engine that would transport them to the newest chapter of their lives.

And the most magical chapter of their lives.

* * *

There. At Ten pages, I figured it would be better to split shopping and sorting, which will come in the next chapter. I think the end was a little rushed, but I couldn't honestly figure out how to end it without either going straight through to the sorting or leaving several weeks between the shopping trip and September First. I also don't know a thing about banking, and am not sure just how much 3 percent really is. Then there's the fact that I'm currently focused on Wild Thornberrys outside of my Harry obsession…

Werewolf of Suburbia.

P.S. I apologize for taking so long, but I had a heck of a time trying to figure out what wood to give Amber. I'm a May baby, and after learning about the Celtic Calendar, that would be my wood. I need to research it more for my own personal gain…


	3. September First: Twin's Way

It had taken little time for the Grangers to claim an empty compartment near the back of the train. All three Granger children had skimmed, at the very least, their course books and their three trunks floated behind them under a Levitation charm. Starlight bounded happily along the corridors while Amber kept strict hold of her leash.

As the train moved out of King's Cross, the three siblings gently floated their trunks into the luggage racks above the seats and made themselves comfortable. They had no idea just how long it would take to get to Hogwarts, and so they decided to distract themselves from waiting by getting out books to read.

Okay, Hermione and Harry got out books to read, and Harry's was his new Quidditch book. Amber was more content to just play with Starlight, playing tug of war with chew toys and tormenting the poor canine by throwing the toy up and down without letting her get it.

It was a fairly peaceful ride on the steam engine as the cityscapes outside their window gradually became sheep and cow dotted fields. At least, it started out that way, as not even three hours later they were disturbed for the first time of many.

The first time was fairly straight forward. A chubby boy who seemed to be in their year came inquiring after his toad, which had been lost somewhere along the train. The boy seemed most upset at this displacement of his pet, and Hermione decided to go out and help him look. Harry and Amber stayed behind, mostly because someone had to watch Star, and neither Harry nor Amber could really do something without the other.

While Hermione was out, they were disturbed once again about 15 minutes later by a red-haired boy who was in their year. His blue eyes were full of apprehension as he poked his head in to inquire if he could join them, as everywhere else was full. The twins really didn't care, and invited the boy in.

Introducing himself as Ron Weasley, he and Harry made fast friends, after he got over the shock of seeing them, anyway. The two boys exchanged questions back and forth about their lives, as Harry wanted to know what it was like growing up with magic like Ron had. Ron, in turn, wanted to know what it was like being incapable of going anywhere without a tag along, intentionally or not.

Amber, after introducing herself and Starlight, went back to playing with the dog, but listening and adding her own questions here and there as well. She was astounded that Ron was 6th of seven, and felt sympathy for Ginny, who had to be in the toughest position as not only the youngest but the only girl.

Around noon or so the new trio of friends was interrupted by a kindly old lady selling wizarding sweets. Ron, looking embarrassed, held up wrapped corn beef sandwiches made by his mother. The Weasleys were apparently rather poor by wizarding society standards.

Harry, on the other hand, was quite rich and was quite happy to spend those riches on his family and friends, and brought quite the stack of sweets for them to loot through. Ron had quite the fun time educating the twins on magical candies, even as his own pet, a rat named Scabbers that seemed more dead then alive more often then not, stole a snack for himself.

Amber, munching on a cauldron cake, glanced at the rodent. "May I see Scabbers, Ron?"

The red-head looked slightly surprised but held him out for her to take anyway. Amber gently stroked the brown fur as she cooed at the rat, who stared at her with intelligent black eyes. She seemed rather taken with the rodent as she scratched it under the chin and handed him back to Ron.

"He's really cute. Professors McGonagall and Snape mentioned him in passing when they took us shopping, as we were asking about Starlight at the time. They mentioned that he was originally Percy's, but obviously that's not true, at least any more."

"Yeah. Percy made prefect and Mum and Dad got him an owl, so I got stuck with Scabbers." Ron blushed at this admission.

"That's good. I'd hate to think of what would happen to him if Percy focused more on his new owl. Heaven forbid that the bird actually gives in to natural instinct and eat him. At least you'll take good care of him now that Percy won't."

Ron looked rather delighted at this thought, apparently having been too busy brooding over the fact that in his family even the pets were second hand to realize this. He grinned and stroked Scabbers himself as the rat went back to sleep.

Hermione came back shortly after they had stashed the remaining sweets in an extra seat, and quickly introduced herself to Ron. Harry had to make his sister slow down a bit after she began rambling, and it was obvious by the red-head's face that he didn't know what to make of her.

It seemed that Neville hadn't had much luck finding his toad, but they weren't giving up. Hermione was just checking in, and stole a couple of snacks for herself to munch on as she headed back out to look for Neville's toad.

She didn't get very far.

The blonde boy that blocked her way looked extremely arrogant and Amber didn't like him very much right off, and his two ape-like bodyguards didn't help matters much. He looked into the compartment with an air of a self-proclaimed god, demanding Harry Potter's location.

Amber turned to her brother. It would appear that Harry was expected, even though no one but the teachers knew about the name change. She smiled at him, and silently asked her question. Did Harry want to acknowledge his birthright?

Hermione glanced at Harry too, and even Ron looked confusedly at the twins, and Harry shook his head ever so slightly. He didn't want fame, he wanted a peaceful normal life, like the kind he had been living since the Grangers adopted him. That he was Harry Potter would be a secret kept between them and the teachers.

Meanwhile, the blonde was gaping at the twins, not that anyone minded much. The Grangers were too used to it to care and Ron was still confused about the boy's Harry Potter questions. Harry looked over at him calmly.

"No I have no idea where this Harry Potter is. My name is Harry Granger, and these are my sisters, Amber and Hermione. Who are you?"

"Draco Malfoy." Came the sneer. "And I haven't heard of the Grangers before."

"And your point is? A family doesn't need to be well-known to have intelligent heirs capable of looking after their own." Amber arched an eyebrow. Draco glanced at her, giving Starlight, who was watching all this from her seat next to the twins, an odd look.

"I suppose you have a point. But we Malfoys have more then just capable heirs."

"Yes, yes, you have a load of gold that can't buy you what everyone really wants. Respect and love and friends can't be really bought young Malfoy, and you should take the time to really figure out just what exactly the name Malfoy gets you. Now, since we have no idea where Harry Potter is, why don't you kindly move out of 'Mione's way and continue your search elsewhere?" Amber waved the blonde away dismissively.

He scowled at her, before stepping back and motioning to his goons that they were moving on. Hermione grinned at Amber in thanks before continuing out on her way to continue her search for the missing toad.

"What was all that about?"

"He was looking for Harry Potter, and I decided to cut him down a few notches, as he obviously thinks his name means everything in a world that could honestly care less."

"What about the glances you guys exchanged? What was all that about?"

"Promise to keep it to yourself?" asked Harry, staring at Ron seriously. When the red-head nodded, Harry moved his bangs, revealing the lightening bolt scar that he had to cover up. "I really am Harry Potter, before I was adopted, anyway, and my sisters were wondering if I wanted to let that guy know it or not. I like my peaceful life as it is, so I decided not to tell him."

Ron gaped for a few minutes, before remembering himself and blushing. "Sorry. So, anyone else but us four know your real identity?"

"The teachers, because they didn't know about our name changes, so we had to write them back to inform them." Amber shrugged.

"What was your former name?"

"Slivermoon."

"Cool!"

* * *

Later that evening the voice of whom the twins assumed was the conductor of the train floated over the magical version of a PA system, informing them of their imminent arrival at the school and to leave all things on the train to be picked up by an unnamed means.

Ron and Harry had gotten into their robes, Amber with her eyes closed, and Hermione had been in her robes from the very start. Starlight whined as Amber scratched her behind the ears.

"You stay, Star. We'll see you really soon, and you behave for whoever picks you up for us, understand?" Amber ordered the dog sternly. The mix breed barked, licking Amber and Harry's faces. "Good dog." Amber praised.

Finally, the train came to a stop and the Grangers and Ron headed out into the train station, looking for their next destination. Ron was talking animatedly about the Houses and the Sorting, as well as theorizing on what would happen with the twins' Sorting. Amber, in turn, was helping Ron slowly see that not all prejudices were always true.

When an accented voice called for first years over the crowd, the quartet headed in the voice's direction, only to find themselves staring at the largest man they had ever seen in astonishment. He had to be at least seven feet tall, and his dark hair and beard were even more of a mess then Harry's.

This giant of a man, once assured that all the first years were gathered around him, lead them on a rocky path that many had trouble keeping their footing on. Amber wondered if the school was testing them by trying to see if they could survive the trek to the school. Both she and Harry were very careful and deliberate in their footsteps.

Finally, things seem to calm down slightly as the year group got their first sight of Hogwarts. Hogwarts turned out to be a rather beautiful castle that should have been on cards or in a history book or something. Everyone gasped and "ohh"ed and "ahh"ed over the sight, except the giant man (unsurprisingly, considering that he had probably seen it before).

Then the Grangers and Ron discovered where it was they were being led to; a little dock full of little wooden boats, no doubt enchanted someway or another. They were instructed that there was to be no more then four to a boat, so Ron made the forth in their boat, even if there was only three bodies.

A rather serene boat ride across the school's lake was taken, Amber letting her hand drift in the water alongside the boat. Their guide was so big as to get a boat to himself, as they floated towards and underneath the castle. It was all very beautiful, and the ivy hangings to the underground harbor gave it all a sense of mystique.

Professor McGonagall met them at the massive wooden doors that led into the castle. The Grangers smiled at her as she took them off of the man's hands, calling him Hagrid. Ron looked around him in awe of the hall they were led into, a hall big enough to fit an entire house and then some.

The twins turned their attention to the closed doors behind which loud chatter could be heard, suggesting that the rest of the school had already made their way inside. However instead of being led into that hall, they were led off to a smaller room off the Entrance Hall.

"Now, before you can take your places with your peers, you must be Sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin, each having it's own noble history and producing great witches and wizards. While you are here, your House will be like your family; rewards will come in the form of House points, and said points will be deducted for misbehavior. A House Cup is awarded to the House with the most points at the end of the year."

"Now, please wait here while I go prepare the Hall for you, and good luck." With that, McGonagall left them to their own devices while she went to do just that, what ever that meant. Probably, Amber mused, to set up whatever test it was that Sorted them. She turned her attention to talk with Harry, wondering what Houses would be nice to be sorted into, and how they were to be sorted.

"I think Gryffindor sounds nice. Maybe Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw." Hermione answered first, having also heard the question. Harry nodded.

"I would like to be a Gryffindor, personally. That's the House my parents were in, according to that history book I picked up in Diagon." Harry added his thoughts to the conversation. He kept his voice low, however, to make sure no one knew that he had magical parents.

Ron nodded. "My whole family's been in Gryffindor, so I can't really say. I suppose the other houses aren't too bad, but Slytherin is said to be the worst of the lot. All of You-Know-Who's Death Eaters came from there."

"Not true." Amber rejoined. "I also read that book of Harry's, and it said Sirius Black was the one to betray the Potters, and I looked him up in my own books. Sirius was a Gryffindor, which was why the Potters trusted him enough to let him be Secret-Keeper."

Ron blushed slightly. "I forgot about him." He admitted.

"Yeah, I guess when you're raised that Gryffindors are always good, and Slytherins are back-stabbing murderers, you tend to overlook it when something throws that perception out the door. Just imagine what everyone else would think if they remembered that Black was a Gryffindor, and he was perhaps the biggest back-stabber of them all!" Amber wondered aloud with a small giggle at the thought. "I think Slytherin might be a nice House to get into, but not in its current state. Dealing with people like Malfoy every day? Please, just kill me now."

The other three laughed, nodding in agreement. That's when the other students' screams interrupted their conversation. The foursome whirled around to see what all the fuss was about and saw ghosts talking about someone named Peeves. A chubby friar was saying that Peeves deserved another chance, while a finely dressed nobleman, from his appearance, was rebuffing this argument by pointing out that Peeves had been given plenty of chances before, and that it wasn't fair that he was giving all ghosts a bad name when he wasn't technically a ghost at all.

The both of them where part of a large group of ghosts, but they were the only ones talking, and the both fell silent at the sight of the gawking students.

"Hello, what are you doing here?" asked the Nobleman, looking at them curiously.

"Waiting for Professor McGonagall to set up the Sorting test." Amber replied primly, the only one to do so. Even Ron and her siblings appeared shocked at the appearance of the floating dead people.

The Friar looked delighted. "First years! Oh wonderful, and this looks like a good lot too!" he exclaimed happily, looking over the whole group. The ghosts then decided to gape at the twins, which the whole wizarding world was bound to do once they caught their first sight of them. Amber sighed resignedly.

"Thank you, Mr. Friar, but might I suggest you move along to wherever you were heading? Because unless my eyes deceive me, Professor McGonagall appears to be returning." Amber replied to the ghost. The spirits all whirled around, or their best equivalent of anyway, to see the witch was indeed almost upon the whole group. They nodded, and floated through the wall.

McGonagall eyed the first years under her care shrewdly, taking in the fact that several of them, indeed all of them save Amber, were slightly pale and kept glancing from her to the nearby wall. Amber watched her curiously. She arched an eyebrow at the twin in question, and got the mouthed "Ghosts" back in response.

With a nod, more to herself then the students, she gathered their attention and informed them to line up, personally telling the twins to get in the last place. Even though their names were higher on the list because of their surnames, because of their…unique…circumstances, they were to be Sorted last. Harry and Amber nodded in response, not minding in the least.

Then they were led into a grand looking hall with a ceiling they all knew was enchanted to show the sky outside and hundreds of floating candles. The four House tables lined the hall, with a fifth table for the staff up on a slightly raised stage like area. Everyone watched them walk up to the front of the hall, where a decrepit hat sat on a three-legged stool.

The Grangers made especially sure to pay no mind to staff and students alike when they finally registered the twins, walking calmly behind their sister, both heads held tall and proud, their robes swishing out behind them, partially revealing the two uniforms sewn together, Harry with the guy's, Amber with the girl's.

All three Grangers gawked in astonishment, and a little incredulous disbelief, when the hat on the stool began to sing. When they realized that the hat was to Sort them, their expressions became even more so. Amber leaned over to whisper in Harry's ear, causing him to nod in agreement.

McGonagall paid no attention to this by-play, focused instead on unrolling a scroll and calling out names. The first two students were in Hufflepuff, the third in Ravenclaw, then Slytherin, and Gryffindor. There was no rhyme or reason to the choosing, just the hat sitting on the student's head and then calling out a house.

The Hat took a couple of minutes to decide on Hermione's placement, seeming to argue with both itself and Hermione about where she should go, before deciding on Gryffindor. Amber and Harry nodded and smiled at the thrilled looking brunette as she raced for her new table, and then patiently waited for the other students to go.

Neville Longbottom, the boy with the missing toad, took a long time to become a Gryffindor, and he accidentally ran off with the hat after his placement and had to go back to return it. Malfoy took no time at all to become, surprise of all surprises (please note the sarcasm), a Slytherin, and Ron became a Gryffindor as well.

Several students began muttering softly to themselves when no one called Harry Potter was called up to be sorted, even though nearly every student on the train knew that this should have been the Boy-Who-Lived's first year. McGonagall glared at them all until they silenced, and then continued. Ron and Hermione smirked at one another.

Finally, Blaise Zambini was dispatched to Slytherin and it became the twins turn. Student and staff alike gaped as the duo got comfortable on the stool, and McGonagall held up the hat, looking at it curiously. Obviously, even she wondered how the twins would be sorted.

"Well, put me on one of their heads, would you?" the hat spoke out, sounding slightly annoyed. Several people found it in themselves to snigger as McGonagall obeyed with a glare that hat ignored, if indeed it could actually see it. Harry became the first, but the hat did not yell out a name; instead it seemed to have a conversation before deciding something and having Harry place it on his sister's head.

Again, the hat did not yell a name, but had yet another conversation, this one taking longer as Amber seemed to make friends with the hat, before it was settled on the twins' lap, where it hummed and hawed for several minutes.

"What exactly is going on?" demanded Snape at last, looking annoyed.

"It's assimilating its knowledge of us and figuring out our best placement. Seeing as we have no other choice but to go to the same house, it's trying to figure out which would best suit both of our individual personalities." Amber answered smartly. Snape, if he had been anyone else, would have flushed in embarrassment.

Finally, after several long moments punctuated by Ron's moans about food, the Hat seemed to come to a decision, and Amber and Harry Granger became Hufflepuffs. "Your loyalty to your friends and family, as well as your morals and values, are something you both share. Hufflepuff will be good for you both where the other Houses would not." It added after announcing the decision.

Amber thanked the hat for them, and handed it back to McGonagall, as she and Harry made their way to their new house tables. Hermione looked momentarily sad that her sister and brother did not make it into her house with her, but she smiled at them anyway, nodding in congratulations from her seat at Gryffindor. They smiled back.

Then the feast started, food appearing on the table as if by magic, with a few words, odd as they were, from the Headmaster, who seemed like a jolly old fellow. Personally, Amber thought he could be a good stand in for Santa Claus, although this Santa had obviously done a little Weight Watching. She found herself stifling giggles at the thought.

Harry stared at his twin curiously. "What is your problem?"

"Just a thought about the Headmaster and Santa Claus. I was thinking about how he looks like Santa on Weight Watchers or something."

Harry chanced a glance at the old man, and snorted. He agreed with this very accurate description of his new Headmaster, and found it as funny as his sister did. All he was missing was the reindeer pulled sleigh. And, of course, Harry wasn't entirely sure Santa would wear a bright purple robe with neon orange teddy bears all over it, either.

"May we help you with something?" Amber's calm voice brought Harry out of his attempts to imagine Santa in Dumbledore's outfit, and he found his sister staring evenly at their fellow first years, who were eying the twins in astonishment, along with the rest of the house. One, who Harry vaguely remembered as being called Finch-Fletchley, didn't look as stunned as the others.

"So, conjoined twins, huh?" he asked, sitting across from them and looking more curious then stunned.

"That's right, and would it you believe that we wouldn't have been if it wasn't for magic? A wish to stay together forever, and boom. Here we are, sharing one functional body together, for the rest of our lives." Harry replied with a smirk. He liked this kid, whoever he was. "But why don't you seem as shocked about it as everyone else?"

"I'm muggleborn, just like you two. I've never seen conjoined twins before, but my parents knew a doctor who separated a pair once, so I already know about them, unlike everyone else."

"Well, that would explain it. Easier to accept that which you knew already exists, even if you have never set eyes on it before." Amber nodded. She held out her hand for the boy, who shook it, followed by Harry's. "We're the Granger twins. I'm Amber and this is Harry."

"Justin Finch-Fletchley, nice to met ya." The boy introduced himself with an easy-going smile. They all ignored the others, allowing them to come to grips with the twins on their own. It would work, eventually.

By the time the other first years had managed to shake off the shock, Justin and the twins were happily trading tales about their families.

"My folks were shocked when the letter came. I mean, I was supposed to go to Eton, and then this bird comes in with a letter saying I can go to this school we've never heard about, and that it happens to be a school for MAGIC of all things. My brother thought it was some prank, and insisted that I write back saying that I wanted to go. Then Professor Flitwick shows up after I write back saying I didn't appreciate being pranked, and things evolved from there."

"Ours was even more straight-forward. Three owls came for us, because the school hadn't heard about our being adopted by the Grangers, I guess. We wrote one response back asking what was going on and telling them about the adoption, and Professor McGonagall wrote back saying that she and Professor Snape would come and talk to us and take us shopping." Amber told her own story.

"Hermione was thrilled at the idea of learning something new, but she always is. Amber here already knew about magic, because our former guardians dumped us in an alley, and she had to get us back to her previous orphanage, and we kind of came across Diagon Alley being opened up along the way. Amber saw it, but I didn't, too shocked at my guardians' nerve to do that." Harry added. "But we accepted it in good grace. Mum and Dad did too after McGonagall's response came with the owl, proving our story."

Justin laughed. "Oh I bet the teachers got a kick out of meeting you two for the first time! I can just see their faces!"

Amber and Harry giggled themselves. "It was quite funny. Their mouths didn't close back up for like five minutes. I was waiting for the flies to come zooming in."

"I wouldn't have been surprised if they had actually swallowed a bug and never noticed. But you should have seen them go cross-eyed when they started regaining their composure and Hermione started in on her rapid-fire questions. Mum and Dad actually had to scold her."

"Um, excuse me?" one of the others, a girl, butted in cautiously. "But what happened to you that you look like this?"

"It's actually called conjoined twins. Muggles have known about them for awhile, normally as Siamese twins. It's complicated in real life, but for us, it was an act of accidental magic. We're Harry and Amber Granger, by the way, who are you?"

"I'm Hannah Abbot, and this is Susan Bones and Ernie Macmillan."

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Justin Finch-Fletchley."

And so, the Granger twins quickly made friends out of everyone in their year. Finally, Dumbledore stood up to make his Start of Term notices, including the Forbidden Forest, Filch's banned items and no-magic rules in the corridors, and the third floor corridor being out of bounds this year. Harry and Amber exchanged glances at this one.

Once the singing of the school song was over, done by the twins to two different tunes they had picked out themselves—Amber honoring her biological Irish roots and Harry choosing his favorite tune from the band America—the Headmaster released the students for bed.

Amber and Harry quickly sought out Hermione to say goodnight before beginning to follow their prefects to their new dormitory. As they walked, Amber memorizing the route along the way, the first years discussed just where the twins would sleep, considering that they were both boy and girl.

This was solved shortly after arriving at the Hufflepuff Common Room, where the Hufflepuff ghost, the Fat Friar, happily led the twins to a separate room for them to share. Supposedly, it was a Head's room, but neither the Head Boy nor Girl were in Hufflepuff this year, and it was unlikely that both would be in Hufflepuff for the next seven.

This thought caused the Headmaster to allow the twins usage of the rooms, because they could easily swing back and forth if a Hufflepuff should make Head—most of their things were taken to and from their rooms by an unknown means at the start and end of each term, so all it required was moving from room to room.

Amber and Harry accepted this with happy nods, and relief that it had been decided that Star was to live with them, precisely for this reason. They had figured that their being a combined boy and girl would get them their own room, and it would be better so Star went to them.

Star was ecstatic to see the twins as they opened the door to their new room, their trunk already on the bed. Amber scratched the dog behind the ears. "Hey, Star. Did you behave like I told you to?" Starlight barked. Harry snickered as he levitated the trunk to the foot of the bed, gently setting it on the floor.

"Well, it's been a long day, and we have classes tomorrow, so how about we get in a quick shower and head to bed?" asked Harry, stretching and yawning. Amber, hastily covering a yawn of her own, nodded.

"Sounds like a plan. Come on Star."

Soon, the twins were out cold on their new bed, Starlight curled up protectively at the foot, ready to defend her friends at a moment's notice.

After all, tomorrow was another day.


End file.
